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An analysis of international publications revealed a growing interest in all aspects of quality in medical care, especially in the definition of the concept of quality in healthcare. In the world community, the following approaches to quality management are widely used: the Total Quality Control (TQC); Total Quality Management (TQM), which includes Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement; Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI); Lean management, including Hoshin Kanri's policy and PDCA's Deming - Shuhart Cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act). Practical implementation of the principles of General Quality Management (TQM) and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is based on the models of business improvement in quality management: the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) model, the MBQA (Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award) model and the Chronic Care Model. In management ofmedical organizations, the International standards for services perfection are more often used, which use the experience of quality assurance, as well as the international systems and standards: JCI, ISO 9001, IWA1, ISO 15189, ISO 14000, OHSAS 18001. The ISO interstate standards represent the international consensus of world practice in quality management. Nowadays, medical organizations use the following standards: SRPS ISO 9001: 2015, SRPS EN 15224: 2017, SRPS EN ISO 15189: 2014, SRPS EN ISO 13485: 2017, IWA 1: 2005. In the period of globalization of the world economy and healthcare, the best international practices should form the basis for improving domestic health care in medical care quality management.

In November 2010, the International Standardization Organization (ISO) published the ‘International Guidance Standard on Social Responsibility - ISO 26000’ (ISO 26000). ISO 26000 is a voluntary international standard that provides guidance to companies and other organizations on social responsibility (SR) and sustainable development (SD). The guide provides a common understanding of SR, through agreed terms and terminology. SR is defined as the: responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that - contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society; - takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; - is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and - is integrated throughout the organization and practised in its relationships. ISO 26000 recognizes human rights as a core component of SR and identifies various human rights issues that business enterprises should consider in discharging this responsibility, inter alia, due diligence, human rights risk situations, and resolving grievances. According to Henriques, ISO 26000 is a ‘powerful statement of the moral and practical issues facing companies and organizations’ that can become influential and make valuable contributions to the realization of human rights, especially in developing countries. ‘Outside the West, where many companies are feted with numerous standards, initiatives and the lure of “corporate social responsibility”, ISO 26000 will be influential. It will be the main port for call for many companies in the South seeking to address their wider responsibilities, perhaps for the first time’. It should be underlined that ISO’s involvement in the project of ISO 26000 was disputed from the start. ISO is an international non-governmental organization whose membership base consists of National Standards Bodies (NSBs). ISO’s main activity has been the development of technical standards for products and processes to facilitate trade. ISO remains a ‘de facto monopoly’ in most domains of international technical standards permitting product interoperability. ISO went outside its comfort zone by entering the field of SR a public interest issue and developing a type of international standard that differs in various aspects from its predecessors, including the ISO 9000 – Quality Management System Standards (MSSs) and ISO 14000 – Environmental MSSs. ISO’s involvement in the field of SR, and furthering the SD agenda, was conditional upon ISO revising its modus operandi. To this end, carefully crafted procedures to ensure an equitable and balanced representation of traditional and non-traditional stakeholders and North-South interests, were put in place. The consultation of non-traditional stakeholder voices also resulted in ISO deciding that the future deliverable would be a voluntary ‘guidance document’, explicitly ‘not intended or appropriate for certification purposes or regulatory or contractual use’. The particular nature of ISO 26000 has triggered discussion among practitioners and academics alike. Scholars have taken a particular interest in the legitimacy and effectiveness of ISO 26000’s multi-stakeholder development process. This process involved 400 experts and 200 observers from 99 countries and 42 international organizations. Scholars have pondered the added value of ISO 26000 in the already crowded field of CSR in which other initiatives provide substantive guidance on SR, ISO 26000’s dissemination, potential and actual impact on the behavior of companies and on the overall development agenda. Less attention has been paid to the potential and actual effectiveness of ISO 26000 in relation to human rights. This chapter examines the effectiveness of ISO 26000 for human rights, 10 years after its publication. The effectiveness of ISO 26000 can be defined in various ways. Of particular relevance for the purpose of this chapter is how well ISO 26000 serves the goal it has set for itself and the achievements in relation to human rights, within the overarching objective of SD. Moreover, it discusses the relevance and suitability of ISO 26000 in contributing to resolving key challenges in the business and human rights domain. Hence, the manner in which ISO 26000 defines human rights responsibilities, its dissemination globally and the actual impact on business standards and practices will be important aspects to consider when determining its effectiveness. The first section of this chapter describes the origins and development of ISO 26000, and how it aims to contribute to human rights. The second section conducts a literature review of academic writing on ISO 26000, focusing on the effectiveness of ISO 26000, including in relation to human rights. The third section exposes current debates, emphasizing the linkage between ISO 26000 and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) , and identifies outstanding issues. The UNGP have been widely accepted as the framework to address the adverse human rights impacts of business enterprises. The final section provides an agenda for future research. This chapter concludes that, for a number of reasons outlined below, ISO 26000 has not been effective in leveraging business practices. ISO 26000 does not fully reflect the UNGPs and this undermines its effectiveness as a tool and its potential transformative effects on fostering respect for human rights within companies, as part of a broader solution to promote human rights protection against business related harms. Moreover, ISO 26000 risks losing its relevance compared to other initiatives setting international SR standards, mainly because it has not been updated since its publication in 2010. Whilst a revision should give it a new impetus, one should question whether efforts are better spent elsewhere, on initiatives and processes of business and human rights governance that bring actual change in the lives of people.

Nowadays environmental problems and issues of inefficient use of environmental opportunities directly concern industrial enterprises. Global environmental catastrophes can become a serious threat to industrial organizations in the world. Thus, the solution for the enterprise is the transition to a new vector of sustainable development adapted to the external environment. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to improve the quality of business processes through the implementation of various management systems based on the ISO 9000 and 14000 standards. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodology to obtain an integral assessment for making a decision of the need to implement ISO 14000 standards at the enterprise, taking into account environmental risks. The study is based on the forecast of the number of certified organizations in the world and in Russia, as well as the analysis of the environmental situation in the regions. An up-to-date task of analyzing environmental factors and making an informed decision on the implementation of ISO standards at the enterprise for internal and external assessment are discussed in the article. The development of a unified system for assessing the need to implement standards at the enterprise can be proposed to achieve this goal.

Safety management systems (SMS) are changing from a prescriptive style to a more ‘self-regulatory’ and ‘performance oriented’ model that is more proactive, participative and better integrated with business activities. So far, the integration of safety with other management systems (e.g., quality, environment and productivity) has been addressed either at a strategic level or a standardization level (e.g., cross referencing across ISO 9001, ISO 14000, OSHA 18001). This article looks at the coordination between business processes that are common to these management systems and proposes several principles of Total Safety Management on the basis of earlier studies and a three-year experience with a European project (Total Operations management of Safety Critical Activities). To realize the TSM principles, four safety processes are proposed that are compatible to ISO 31000 and CCPS (2008) standards. The TSM principles and processes are furnished with practical methods and tools to demonstrate their values to the organization. Although the TSM approach takes a system view of safety, other approaches relying on complexity theory can be mapped onto TSM and provide a basis for further developments.

Purpose The increased focus on sustainability has led firms to incorporate a range of sustainability practices in their products, processes and supply chains. Because these practices are typically difficult to observe, firms often seek an independent verification and adopt voluntary environmental and social standards and eco-labels such as ISO 14000, FSC, USDA Organic or Fairtrade. The purpose of this paper is to study several factors linked to their adoption. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on existing theory, the authors hypothesize that environmental and social standards will be more widely adopted if they are better-governed, less stringent and more favorably covered in the media. The authors collect data on 41 eco-labels from multiple data sources. Findings The authors find that the better-governed labels are more widely adopted, but that more stringent labels within the sample are not less widely adopted. More favorable media coverage is not associated with wider adoption. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on the diffusion of a sample of well-established eco-labels. To establish causal links, longitudinal data on governance, stringency, adoption and media coverage would be needed. Practical implications Managers deciding which eco-label to adopt need not be concerned that a more stringent label will inevitably yield less business value due to the label being less widely adopted. However, they should care whether a label is seen to be well-governed. Managers cannot use the way a label is portrayed in the media as a predictor for adoption. Originality/value Past research has often ignored how characteristics of environmental and social standards impact their diffusion. The work contributes to the growing literature on diffusion of voluntary standards and eco-labels by adding a quantitative and multi-sectoral perspective.

Management Science, PSG Institute of Management, Coimbatore641 004, Tamilnadu, India. E-mail: lakshmanan.psgim@gmail.com Abstract SMEs have initiated social responsible activities for enhancing their competitiveness in the export trade. The study aims to recognise the influence of international standards (ISO 9000, ISO 14000, SA 8000 and WRAP) on the competitiveness of knitted apparel export organisations in India. The study visualises the commitment of business houses with internal and external social issues in their geo domain. Export organisations in the Indian apparel cluster, which exports products mainly to the USAand the European Union, have shown various contributions and are committed to social issues, especially workers’ welfare, even during a lull in the financial period. International buyers are also collaborating with the business houses towards social initiatives. This research study was confined to the Tiruppur apparel cluster in India, which is the single largest cluster, exporting 40% of the total Indian knitted garments to the world market. The study attempted to understand the level of social initiatives undertaken by SME apparel exporters in the Indian apparel industry. The study result also highlights the need for and significance of social standards over other competitive factors like price and quality.

This paper deals with the influence of implemented quality and environmental management systems ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 on enterprise performance. The paper delivers original results and comments on realized and processed questionnaire research concerning approx. 700 companies operating through Czech and Slovak Republics, called “Adaptability of entrepreneurship”, financed by Silesian University in Opava. The paper evaluates the difference in enterprise performances as an effect of implementation of ISO management systems. The performance of 4 groups of companies (no ISO implemented, ISO 9000 implemented, ISO 14000 implemented and both ISO 9000 and 14000 implemented) is compared. 14 criteria were selected for evaluation, which can be marked as enterprise sustainability aspects. Three hypotheses were tested. The results show visible improvement in performance and awareness of selected priorities at companies with implemented ISO management systems. Problematic and results are discussed and compared with similar researches published inprofessional literature.The most important results of the paper were presented on 19 th IBIMA Conference in Barcelona on November 12-13, 2012.

Purpose – The aim of this study is to focus on manufacturing small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) that are simultaneously pursuing quality and environmental objectives. Specifically, the paper examines: the specific motivations and resources of SMEs that have chosen to pursue both priorities, the types of initiatives these SMEs have implemented, and whether pursuing both priorities is correlated with various facets of organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – This study gathered data from a sample of 254 ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certified Canadian SMEs. Data collection was based on a survey questionnaire sent to a random sample of 1,514 companies.Findings – The results highlighted significant differences between the SMEs holding both the ISO 9000 and 14000 certifications and those holding only the 9000 ISO certification. Each group was shown to have distinct motivations and resources and to have implemented different types of initiatives to address environmental concerns. Each group was p...

The ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families are among ISOs most widely known standards ever. ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards are implemented across various countries. While the ISO 9000 series details the quality concerns, ISO 14000 addresses issues related to environmental management. This chapter deals with the legal framework for carrying out ISO 14000 including audits and management reviews in addition to the risk and audit assessment techniques. OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system specification. It comprises two parts, 18001 and 18002, and covers OH&S policy. The reader will have a brief on the importance of OHSAS on reading this chapter.

This study provides evidence of the value of third party certification of environmental management systems. We examine the relative importance of improving an environmental management system as a result of certification, versus being able to communicate the quality of that system credibly to outsiders through third party certification. We use survey data where one half of the respondents had indicated that they had an environmental management (EMS) in place before seeking ISO 14001 certification, while the other half of respondents did not. Our analyses comparing the two groups find that the group already having an EMS report similar motivations for ISO 14001 certification and perceive to have received similar levels of benefits as firms having no pre-certification EMS. We conclude that even for organizations that already have an EMS, the ability to communicate credibly the quality of that system is a compelling reason to obtain ISO certification.

This paper investigates the influence of sustainable business development on manufacturing plant operations. Among the three pillars of sustainability consisting of environmental, social and economic longevity and foresight of a firm, we focus on the environmental component. Specifically, basing our arguments on the resource-based view of the firm, we hypothesize the impact of environmental management on plant performance. Environmental initiatives considered include ISO 14000 certification, pollution prevention, recycling of materials, and waste reduction; plant performance is assessed with the dimensions of the four competitive capabilities of quality, delivery, flexibility, and cost. Further, building on the theory of performance frontiers, we investigate these relationships across plants located in different economic regions of the world (plants are classified into emerging, developing and industrialized regions). We suggest that recent emphasis on these environmental initiatives has been greatest among plants located in emerging economies, compared to their counterparts in industrialized and developing nations. In addition, we contend that the influence of these initiatives is greatest for plants located in emerging and developing economies when compared to plants in industrialized nations. These notions are tested with data collected from 1211 plants located in these three economic regions. Overall, this study contributes to the investigation of strategies for sustainable business development, highlighting important implications for both theory and practice.

As assumed by ISO 14000 environmental management norms, machining performance concerns also environmental issues. Dry cutting is one of the objectives of many manufacturing development projects: by reducing industrial wastes, costs should be reduced. But dry cutting changes thermo-mechanical interactions between workpiece, tools, and chips. These changes could produce damages on workpiece quality. In order to prevent these issues, this paper propose a new approach to predict cutting temperature in dry turning by using an analytical model of thermal distribution on the workpiece surface subject to a rotating heat source. This modeling is validated by several experimental tests on AISI 1040 Steels.

We are living in era that have a high potential for being ready towards effective transformation towards Innovation Economy. The Handbook of Hawkins and his team (2017) explores the potential relations between standards and innovation and try to understand where both coincides to create more sustained economy. Both the editors and the authors in different chapters try to see first how standards function and then try to see how innovation might benefit from this comparatively. Then some of the chapters try to see whether standards have some evolutionary economics built in them, similar to the environmental standard ISO 14000. The handbook is considered to be one of the early attempts to build a holistic view of this relation through a strong literature review.

PurposeEconomic prosperity has often come at the expense of the natural environment. Environmental degradation has surfaced in problems such as pollution, increased carbon dioxide emissions via burning of fossil fuels and environmental waste. Ignoring the ecological costs through indiscriminate use of non‐renewable resources may lead to increase in the cost of doing business in the future. This unsustainable trend exacerbates inter‐generational poverty and equity. Responsible firms have resorted to ISO 14000 certifications, which comprise guidelines for environmental management systems which promote green, efficient production processes. However, ISO 14000 is not a performance standard and does formulate financial key performance indicators. Nonetheless, extant literature has documented the perception that ISO 14000 certification leads to increased competitive advantage, pre‐emption of regulations, increased financial performance, enhanced reputation and reduction of cost of business. This study seeks to bridge the lacuna in research on the influence of ISO 14000 certification on firm financial performance in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachMethodologically, certain matching criteria have been used to enhance the comparability of ISO 14000 certified firms with their non‐certified counterparts based on the work of Collins, and Collins and Porras.FindingsThe findings indicate that ISO 14000 certification improves average return of equity but not necessarily in terms of sales and capitalisation.Originality/valueThe study suggests that there may be a business case for ISO 14000 certification terms of return on equity in the medium term within the Malaysian context.

Following a growing interest in corporate social responsibility, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced plans for development of the ISO 26000—guidance standard for social responsibility. Despite initial signals that ISO 26000 will be built on the intellectual and practical infrastructure of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000, the Advisory Group on Social Responsibility set a different direction: a guidance standard and not a specification standard against which conformity can be assessed. This paper aims to investigate what views ISO member body delegations and invited participants in international standardisation of social responsibility had about the divergence from the meta-standard approach towards a guidance standard. To answer the research question, the discussions at the ISO International Conference on Social Responsibility, where ISO member body delegations and approximately 40 invited organisations commented on this matter, have been analysed. As a result of this understanding, not only will insight into the first steps of standardisation of social responsibility be provided, but it will also shed light on the perception of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 that are held by standard developers.

The fundamental role of integrated weed management (IWM) is to provide a source of scientifically based knowledge from which growers can make informed weed-management decisions. The objectives of this article include (1) highlighting the essential knowledge base required for the success of an IWM cropping system, (2) identifying the barriers to acceptance of IWM, and (3) discussing the future research opportunities for IWM. The minimum knowledge base consists of four key components: the effect of tillage on weed population dynamics, the time of weed emergence relative to the crop, the critical period for weed control, and the concept of a harvest window. There are substantial barriers, however, that reduce the willingness of growers to adopt the components of an IWM cropping system. IWM systems can be perceived as unreliable resulting in increased risk to management. No direct economic benefit can be defined clearly nor has there been sustained support for the adoption of IWM. In the future, IWM must change from a descriptive to a predictive science. As new markets evolve for agricultural products, new quality issues will arise that may influence weed management. Environmental auditing of IWM systems in terms of ISO 14000 accreditation, total carbon credits, or energy use will provide an important template from which comparisons of alternative weed-control strategies can be assessed. IWM strategies must be developed to reduce the risk to management and to gain broader support from the crop-protection industry, growers, and government.

Pollution problems have become a constant concern in the industrialized countries. The environmental pollution occurs when a given chemical substance is present in the environment threatening the surrounding life; this implies that any chemical element or component is partially pollutant provided that it is present in the environment with high concentrations. The Algerian cement industry is brought to make much advancement to defeat the challenges it faces and follow the scientific, technological and environmental progress of the century. It is supposed to cope with the demand of the current customer and to face the international competition, improve the product quality while respecting the environment; it must also attain low cost prices. This can only be achieved by applying highly strict policy of management that allows the mastery of production and respect the environment. The cement plant of Ain-Touta is one of the most important cement plants in Algeria; it has been certified to ISO 9002 quality standards in 2000 and to the one of environment ISO 14000. Therefore, it is not only expected to improve the quality of its cement and reduce its cost prices, but also to address the problems of pollution caused by the dust releases that emerges at all the levels of the cement manufacturing process. However, in order to improve the Environmental Management System (EMS) it is first required to figure out how to evaluate the various impacts of the atmospheric pollution associated with the manufacturing process of the cement. In this context, the main question that arises is: how to assess the impacts of air pollution and enhance the Environmental Management System, and according to what criteria? It is in this background that our contribution lies, which aims to propose an approach for evaluating the impacts of air pollution. To reach this purpose, we have developed a methodology based on the integration of the Life-cycle Analysis (LCA) method with the multi-criteria method AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), the matter that can be employed in the direction of prioritizing the most polluting production phase in order to continuously improve the EMS.

Several studies have examined the determinants of training in developing countries but few have paid attention to the potential importance of international standards such as ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 on the firm's training decision. This article examines training determinants using recent employer surveys for five developing countries: Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco and Nicaragua. It finds that ISO certification status is an important determinant of training, even after controlling for other characteristics such as workers’ formal schooling, firm size, industry and foreign ownership. This points toward the importance of international standards, including product quality and production standards, for firm training. The article also discusses policy implications related to the findings and provides directions for further research.

From Quality Management System in early 1990, through Safety Management System in 1998, to Maritime Security System in 2002, the shipping/port industries had no choice but to accept such management systems as occasion demands or compulsory in recent 10 years. Furthermore some companies have introduced other system such as Environment Management System(ISO 14000), Occupational Health & Safety Assesment Series(OHSAS 18000) additionally. But most companies have introduced & implemented the quality, safety & security management system generally. This paper is to suggest the effective measurement & improvement plan of Quality Management System.

PurposeTo present ways for empowering contractors in improving environmental performance particularly to meet the requirements defined in ISO 14000.Design/methodology/approachTo review the traditional methodologies for protecting the environment in undertaking construction activities, investigate the limitations of these methods and the associated reasons, and apply the principles of ISO 14000 environmental management system (EMS) to develop an effective framework for helping contractors to become competent in implementing environmental management.FindingsThe major methodologies developed for protecting the environment in construction include governmental regulations, economic measures, and EMSs. However, the applications of these measures are limited. The typical causes contributing to the limitation include the clash between cost and environment, environmentally passive culture within construction industry, lack of cooperation among project parties, and clash between contract time and implementing environmental management methods. Furthermore, the practice of environment management is mainly driven by external impetus such as legal enforcement incentive programmes from government. However, the effectiveness cannot be gained if internal motivation does not exist. This paper introduces a framework to help a contractor to cultivate an environmentally friendly culture within its organization.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a framework for empowering contractors in improving environmental performance by identifying the weaknesses of the existing practice and applying a systematic approach of implementing environmental management approaches.

This paper reports on a case study examining the drinking water management system of one Territorial Local Authority (TLA) in the Waikato Region of New Zealand. This specific TLA was chosen because it took the leadership role as the first TLA in the region to strive for business excellence by providing the best water service to the community. That TLA chose the path of organisational change through adopting a Total Quality Management (TQM) Model i.e. ISO 9000 Certification as a means of building bridges between the two concepts. This case study shows how organisational excellence was integrated in the TLA's strategy through their understanding of the core business process (i.e. service delivery to the community) and through involvement of the community. The research preceded by comparing theory and practice by analysis of three sets of data collected by two different techniques. The researcher conducted face to face interviews with the management team at the TLA. In addition, the researcher utilised participant observation techniques to document the actual practices of the regular working day of plant technicians at the water treatment plant of that respective TLA. The paper emphasises the importance of breadth and depth of organisational change in the TLA in view. It reports on findings from both the qualitative themes and quantitative variables and finally gives recommendations for future actions. This paper is part of a bigger study investigating the adoption and adaptation of Total Quality Man- agement (TQM) and its models (ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and Quality Awards) in the Water Utilities within a Territorial Local Authorities (TLAs) in the Waikato Region of New Zealand and its impact on the quality of drinking water quality provided to the community. This paper reports on one case study out the nine case stud- ies of the region under investigation. The research starts by giving the definition of quality of service which plays an important role in providing a quality product i.e. drinking water quality, then a brief background of the Waikato Region in which the TLA under investigation is located. The paper endeavours to explain the meaning of "service quality" and its relation to this study. Thirdly the paper explains the methodology chosen for this study in which three sets of data collection ((a) face to face interviews with managers of the TLA under investigation, (b) participant observations of the water treatment plant of the TLA, and (c) official documents of other studies) were analysed. Finally the paper will present research findings and give recommendations for future actions.

In the last years several internationally accepted standards such as the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series and other function-specific management systems standards have been developed. At the same time, it has become imperative for organisations to continuously improve their overall quality, environmental and safety performance. Therefore, the need to create integrated management systems is of growing importance to enable an easier handling of the different management systems. This paper has two main objectives. The first one is to address the key issues in the underlying theory of integrated management systems including benefits and limits, the second one is to illustrate the importance of an integrated (in particular safety) management system and the experience feedback providing examples from different areas and different organisations in the nuclear field.

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate current environmental management systems as indicators of the environmental performance of an organisation.Design/methodology/approachIt considers, in particular, the development of current environmental management systems BS EN ISO 14001:1996 and the eco‐management and audit scheme (EMAS) 761/2001 EEC.FindingsCurrently, organisations implementing either BS EN ISO 14000:1996 or EMAS do not need to comment on overall environmental performance. Environmental management is viewed as the control of all human activities that have significant impact on the environment. Neither standard comments on the degree of control exercised, the approach taken, or the effectiveness of that control.Originality/valueEnvironmental performance evaluation guidelines are appraised, and quality awards as a conceptual framework for classification of environmental performance are introduced.

This study investigates the relationship between characteristics of environmental policy statements and the reputations of ISO 14001 registrars who had performed certification audits of firms operating in mainland China. Three characteristics of environmental policy statements were examined: (1) The conformance of the policy to strict interpretations of the international standard; (2) The policy statement's adherence to the good practice guidelines specified in ISO 14004; and, (3) Self-reported evaluations of the policy statement's effectiveness as implemented. Data from 106 facilities in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou reveal that registrar quality has a relatively weak, positive relationship with conformance to both ISO 14001 standards and to ISO 14004 guidelines, but no relationship was observed with the self-reported data. Additional findings are that the use of foreign registrars is significantly associated with the adoption of ISO 14004 guidelines and that conformance with ISO 14001 standards is somewhat higher for international joint ventures and foreign-owned firms than for state-owned enterprises.

The ISO 14000 standard series serves a key role in guiding manufacturers to continuously improve on environmental aspects to meet the goals of sustainability. More and more firms are now implementing ISO 14000 for business environmental management. In contrast, ‘green purchasing’ is still diminutive with many firms not taking it up, despite researchers emphasizing that it may affect business performance and green productivity across the supply chain. A firm needs to integrate a number of other organizations to make up a particular supply chain or network that aims at enhancing environmental performance in addition to the traditional focus on cost reduction, assurance of product quality, rapid delivery time, and other factors. However, very few firms (in both manufacturing and service industries), even though certified with ISO 14000, voluntarily engage in green purchasing.

The philosophy behind quality, environmental, and safety (QES) management systems is a concept that has been accepted by various contractors. Furthermore, a process has been developed insuring that the output produced conforms to customer satisfaction without violating any environmental, health, and safety rules and regulations. An effective QES program not only assures a quality product but also reduces costs, and enhances productivity. It is a top down process, i.e., top management together with line management and other employees develop the program and motivate all personnel to accept the process. Important functions to take under consideration are (1) explain and clarify the quality, environmental, and safety performance expected; (2) involve employees in decision-making and problem solving; (3) describe the consequences of poor quality and unsafe/unhealthy work conditions; (4) establish QES goals and provide feedback on performance; (5) provide a self-monitoring system; and (6) recognize and reinfor...

What is the impact on perceptions of legitimacy and efficacy when key stake-holders are absent during the creation of international standards? Can these international standards setting bodies adequately address the needs of all countries when often working in the absence of developing countries? This study examines the process through which one international environmental management standard (ISO 14001) was created and analyzes its perceived legitimacy and efficacy among developing country stakeholders relative to those from developed countries. Data for this project come from interviews with 42 delegates to the ISO 14000 standards-drafting sessions in Malaysia and 133 surveys of ISO 14001 certified firms in 16 countries. The article concludes that stakeholder absence impacts both legitimacy and efficacy of ISO 14001 in interesting and unexpected ways.

Quality has been a key issue in Singapore's construction industry since the late 1980s. ISO 9000 certification is now compulsory for large construction enterprises and is an important feature of the industry. Following the global trend, environmental issues are gaining prominence in the country. A few companies have been certified to the ISO 14000 standard. It is predicted that this standard will have an impact which is similar to that of ISO 9000. Organisations are being urged to implement integrated management systems (IMS). A study was undertaken to assess the perceptions and expectations of contractors concerning ISO 9000 certification and the costs and benefits in practice. Contractors’ expectations of ISO 14000 certification were also ascertained, together with their environmental awareness, policies and current practices, and their views on measures which could promote its widespread adoption. The study was based on a postal survey. It was found that contractors had derived benefits from ISO 9000 but were driven by short-term cost-benefit considerations. Their attitude to ISO 14000 certification was generally similar. Suggestions for increasing the likelihood of a high uptake of ISO 14000, and IMS are made.

Environmental issues have become critical concerns of businesses in recent years. The Singapore Environment Ministry is urging organizations to consider adopting the ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards. The main purpose of this study was to investigate and identify a number of variables which would be able to predict the motivation of organizations in adopting the ISO 14000 Standards. Through extensive literature search eight possible predictive variables/factors (cost savings, top management concern, employee welfare, meeting environmental regulations, meeting customer expectations, concern over trade barriers, following head office environmental practices, and gaining competitive advantages) were identified. In total, 300 pre-tested survey questionnaires were mailed out to companies from the Electronic and Chemical industries in Singapore. A response rate of about 20% was obtained. The survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity. Using stepwise discriminant analysis, a predictive discriminant function was developed. Only four out of the originally identified eight variables were included in the model. Possible benefits of such a model for Singapore and other industrializing countries are highlighted.

This paper intends to analyse the advisability of combining the three management standards (quality, environment and risk prevention) in Spanish industrial companies, and also to study with which particular standards this combination is considered adequate. Besides, our objective is to study if aspects like the size of the company, the level of demand of the environmental legislation or the field of activity of the companies are elements that affect the tendency of the companies to integrate the standards.

Many agricultural firms are now considering the environmental consequences of their activities as a means to obtain a competitive advantage. The shift is highlighted by the significant interest in standardized private codes such as those found in ISO 14000. These standardized codes are characterized by signatory firms voluntarily agreeing to abide by a given set of environmental management principles with monitoring conducted by an outside party. Government policy makers are also interested in the ability of such codes to address environmental concerns related to agriculture. This paper examines the feasibility of ISO 14000 for agricultural producers and the policy issues surrounding its application. The costs to an individual firm largely depend upon the availability of an environmental management system and the extent of the changes required under the system. The potential rewards are related to lower costs from reduced input use or lower premiums and increased revenue from new customers or market premiums. Net benefits to ISO 14001 certification will be greater for producers marketing food products than for firms selling a bulk commodity far removed from final consumption. Policy concerns related to ISO 14000 include providing institutional support for promotion and training, tying environmental regulations to the code, and the lack of public accountability in the setting of standards.

Time to implementation is an essential measure of success in the implementation of ISO 14000 in organizations across the spectrum. Time delays are directly correlated to cost overruns and erosion of competitive advantage that is expected from successful implementation. A framework is developed that seeks to identify management practices that result in faster implementation of environmental management systems leading to certification. This paper identifies a set of management actions that impact on the speed of successful implementation of ISO 14000 environmental management systems to provide future managerial guidance. Management actions in the form of top management commitment, determination of customer driven specifications of quality and environmental friendliness, use of analytical tools, use of statistical process control techniques, support for “do it right the first time”, snowballing training experience across the entire workforce, cross‐functional teams, improvements in communication within teams and across the organization, and qualifications and quality of implementation team members are among those investigated. Size of the organization, size of the core implementation team, newness of the project and industry category, and impact on market performance is used for purpose of classification.

Business is totally dependent on society although we sometimes do not experience it that way. All business, even in their most limited form, confront environmental issues, some more than others. Business leaders will be actively addressing social and environmental issues. These companies will be going for certification to ISO 14001 (EMS) and progressive organizations have moved beyond EMS requirement, seizing control of environmental operations through Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM). Industry leaders are incorporating environmental thinking into every aspect of their operations. As a long-range plan towards TQEM, an organization can have a road map and a clear model for achieving excellence in the area of Environmental Management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa exploratória realizada entre empresas químicas e petroquímicas brasileiras. Nessa pesquisa, feita através de questionários enviados aos responsáveis pelo Setor de Qualidade das empresas, conheceu-se alguns aspectos do processo de restruturação por que passaram, além de avaliar o estado das mesmas em relação às certificações ISO 9000 e ISO 14000 e à implantação de Programas da Qualidade, investigando também algumas questões específicas sobre cada um desses tópicos. Os dados obtidos correspondem a 25 empresas, na sua maioria líderes no mercado em que atuam, e mostram, dentre outros resultados, uma ampla difusão da ISO 9000 e dos Programas da Qualidade e a tendência crescente de adoção da ISO 14000. This paper presents the results of an exploratory research made among Brazilian chemical and petrochemical companies, answered by companies' Quality Departments. This survey investigates the actual conditions of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certifications, the quality programs adopted by mentioned companies, and some specific questions about each of these topics. Some aspects of their productive reorganization process are also examined, including outsourcing. The results are related to 25 companies, mostly leaders in their local markets. A large difusion of ISO 9000 certification and quality programs is found among local leader companies, and also a growing tendency of ISO 14000's certification's adoption.

This article recognises that environmental issues and problems have intensified in recent decades and that national environmental policies in Asia dealing with the environment vary considerably. Three strategies for environmental management have evolved. The traditional command-and-control system of setting regulations and enforcing them has been difficult to implement. New strategies include the design of economic incentives to reduce overall pollution levels and the promotion of the voluntary ISO 14000 environmental management system.

SUMMARY The ISO 14000 series of environmental standards is a relatively recent development in environmentally responsible manufacturing (ERM). It applies to environmental systems and processes the same approach used by its predecessor, the ISO 9000 quality standards. Being relatively new, numerous questions have arisen regarding the impact of these new standards on both the corporate environmental management system and corporate performance. This article addresses some of these questions by drawing on data generated by a large-scale survey of American managers. The results indicate that, even though ISO 14000 has achieved relatively limited acceptance, there is strong evidence to indicate that this series of standards can positively impact both the performance of the environmental management system as well as overall corporate performance. Further, it was found to outperform other ERM initiatives such as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 33/50 program.

The traditional basis for advocating ethical business conduct has been morality defined in philosophical or religious terms. However, fairness and moral obligation have provided little incentive for anything like universal ethical business behavior. The idea that "good ethics is good business" as an incentive is looked upon with skepticism by those with bottom line responsibility. However, if managers were aware of the extent to which certain business behaviors impose significant costs on individual transactions and relationships, a valid incentive would exist. The need for such standards has intensified with the fundamental shifts in business philosophy, structure, and practice along with profound changes in product markets and supply sources. The universal standards, ISO 9000 for product and service quality, and ISO 14000 for environmental issues were created and implemented to cope with problems in their respective areas and they providea model which can be adapted to the realms of ethics.

Nowadays, environmental pollution has become a very critical and acute issue and in view of the increasing number of industrial accidents both the public and ecological movements have managed to increase the sensitivity of governments of many countries toward these problems. Environmental awareness resulted in the recent promulgation of a new environmental standards, ISO 14000/EMS, aiming at universal acceptance to improve the environmental performance of companies, to minimize liabilities and to enhance the image of the companies. Food companies have just started to endorse this. In contrast, the chemical and the automobile industries were the first to adopt these new ISO 14000 standards.

oluntary codes of conduct for firms and private standards-setting bodies are growing in number and are increasingly gaining recog nition and public status by states and intergovernmental organiza tions. This has led to a growth in what some have labeled as "mixed" regimes of a hybrid nature, whereby both states and private authorities are heavily involved in the creation and maintenance of international princi ples, norms, rules, and decisionmaking procedures. In such hybrid re gimes, the boundary between public and private spheres is blurred.1 In the environmental realm, the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards recently adopted by the International Organization for Standard ization (ISO) is illustrative of a hybrid private-public regime. These stan dards, intended to help firms take environmental considerations into ac count in all aspects of their operations by establishing an environmental management system (EMS) and other operation guidelines, were recently adopted by the membership of the ISO as official international standards. Though strictly voluntary for firms, the ISO 14000 standards are extremely important, as their impact goes beyond private industry. States are plac ing great hope in voluntary industry efforts to help improve environmental quality.2 The ISO 14000 standards in particular are being adopted by stan dards-setting bodies in some states, either whole scale or in part, as na tional EMS standards. Moreover, these standards are now recognized by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as legitimate public standards and guidelines and in effect create an international ceiling for EMSs.3 Industry has also been very supportive of the ISO 14000 standards, as it hopes that adherence to them may preempt, or at least soften, present and future state determined environmental regulations.4 While industry-based voluntary environmental measures such as ISO 14000 have gained initial encouragement from public organizations, de bates have emerged over whether they are actually capable of meeting en vironmental goals such as the promotion of clean production processes in both industrialized and less industrialized countries, as outlined in Agenda 21. Industry advocates see these new environmental codes of conduct as

This article covers the strategic, organizational, and operational decisions involved in one automobile manufacturer's efforts to balance its goals of productivity and high quality with the more elusive goal of environmental responsibility. The case material is based on the real-life experiences of Honda of America's two manufacturing plants in East Liberty and Marysville, Ohio. The case unfolds as the environmental manager in charge of the two plants faces the pending visit of her corporate boss from Tokyo, who has made it clear that environmental issues are of growing importance in Honda's overall direction. ISO 14000, the new environmental quality standards being adopted by some other manufacturers, serves as a focusing issue for the environmental manager's thinking, but this issue is really representative of a wider challenge facing the Ohio plants: balancing Honda's core mission of producing the best cars at the lowest cost possible, and being a responsible actor in the environmental arena. Complicating this challenge, the environmental manager has to negotiate another tension common in global manufacturing firms today: balancing the influence of Honda's corporate headquarters in Japan with the local and regional context at its American plant sites.

Environmental damage caused by industrial activity and the scarcity of natural resources has induced governments to introduce more binding environmental regulations. However, there are problems with the introduction of the command and control approach, and with inducing industry to implement voluntary systems, such as national or international environmental certification schemes (ISO 14000, EMAS or BS 7750). Many authors have described the requirements of different certification schemes, the potential problems related with their adoption, and their potential impact on a firm's competitiveness. However, there are few empirical studies that analyse effectively the main consequences for firms, arising from the adoption of environmental certification. This paper identifies, through an empirical study, the Italian situation and, in particular (i) why a firm operating in Italy should adopt environmental certification, (ii) the firms that do certify, (iii) the implications for firms, and (iv) the effects on competitiveness arising from its introduction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Corporate sponsorship of sporting and cultural events has emerged as a critical component of global promotion strategy. Global sponsorship by multinationals could be made more cost‐effective with similar and generally consistent taxation legislation worldwide. International environmental and quality management standards such as ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 are examples of global standards that have emerged due to the increasingly international nature of commerce. Describes the tax implications of corporate sponsorship utilizing the USA and Ireland as illustrative examples, provides general guidelines for other nations including the UK, and suggests that sponsorship regulations be made more consistent globally.

This paper explores the use of inspections or audits to monitor compliance with environmental standards, whether these are set by government agencies or as self-regulatory measures by business. The key issue studied here is the "privatization" of this auditing or inspection process through the use of third parties (the auditors). Such auditors are private (and likely profit-oriented) organizations that may be certified to undertake the task by the competent regulatory authority. We will focus, in particular, on the recent move to implement ISO 14000 environmental standards (and related EMAS standards in the European Union) through precisely this kind of process. The ISO 14000 standards are management system standards and not prescriptive technological or performance standards. Since it is clear that the latter standards also have an important role to play in achieving acceptable environmental performance in an economy, we discuss how the ISO standards might act as a lever for implementing other more detailed specification or outcome-based standards. The paper analyses the costs and benefits of relying on such market-based provision of auditing services at several levels: regulatory compliance and transactions costs at a regional or national level; business performance, including the potential for improved risk management and insurability conditions; and the impact on local community knowledge and welfare. It is argued that management system standards of the kind currently being developed under the ISO 14000 initiative have the potential to achieve a positive balance at all levels, but to do so such standards must emphasize measurable results and not just process and management system standardization.

espanolA partir de una encuesta realizada a 168 establecimientos industriales espanoles que han implan- tado sistemas de gestion de la calidad (ISO 9000) y sistemas de gestion medioambiental (ISO 14000), analizamos empiricamente las caracteristicas de los establecimientos que han decidido integrarlos en un unico sistema de gestion frente a los que no lo hacen. Los resultados sugieren que los establecimien- tos que integran ambos sistemas presentan estructuras organizativas del trabajo mas estables, estan mas internacionalizados, tienen una mayor intensidad en la relacion con los clientes y proveedores y son empresas menos familiares EnglishBased on data from a survey covering 168 Spanish industrial facilities where has been adopted quality management systems (ISO 9000) and environmental management systems (ISO 14000), we analyze empirically the characteristics of those facilities where both systems have been integrated into one single management system compared to those others where the systems have not been integrated. The results suggest that those facilities who integrate show more stable organizational structures of work, higher internationalization, higher intensity on their relationships with both clients and suppliers, and are less family firms

Over the last decades, environmental concerns have become more critical and frequent. Thisis, mainly, due to population growth and the increase of industrial activities in which anthro‐pogenic actions have reached catastrophic proportions resulting in changes of soil, air, andwater quality [1].Environmental pollution by industrial effluent is being characterized as one of the major causesof the aggravation of this problem. Residues, in general, produce diversified compounds,containing, frequently, pollutants that are toxic and resistant to conventional treatments suchas coagulation/flocculation or biodegradation [2], and they are eventually discharged, in mostof the cases, in an inadequate way causing severe damages. Regarding the environmentalproblem, researchers were driven to study the feasibility of new techniques and methodolo‐gies, as well as, the emission and pollutant discharge control. In order to apply the pollutioncontrol and to attend environmental legislation, patterns and quality indicators were estab‐lished. In terms of water quality: oxygen concentration, phenols, Hg, pH, temperature, amongother requirements [3].Companies search for new environmental alternatives to treat generated residuals. Theenvironmental reality is demanding for further actions to mitigate industrial impacts on water.Therefore, water treatment has become a mandatory investment to industries, institutions, andothers with the aim to attending environmental laws, as well as ISO 14000 series.

Corporations engaged in international business face increasingly complex challenges in preparing environmental management policies for their plants or sites in different operating environments. Rapidly evolving international standards such as ISO 14000 encourage corporations to certify their environmental management systems, but leave them broad discretion in formulating environmental policies. Certification of corporate environmental policies and management systems, however, may not be adequate for companies with plants that use different technologies and production processes or that are located at sites with different environmental characteristics. This article proposes a framework that can help international corporations develop tailored environmental policies for their plants based on their environmental risks.

To meet the changing needs of 3M's expanding worldwide operations, its International Environmental Operations group is striving to enhance and integrate a global environmental management system. When well-designed, such systems not only can function to guarantee compliance with environmental regulations but also serve to help the company reap the benefits of going “beyond compliance.” They can also prepare facilities to meet the requirements of international standards, such as ISO 14000 or EMAS. An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a necessary step toward achieving sustainable development and gaining competitive advantage in the global marketplace. The challenge of constructing such a system can seem daunting to a multinational company confronted with the spectrum of regional environmental regulations/directives and its own diversity of business and social cultures. This article describes the development and implementation of the 3M International Environmental Operations global EMS initiative.

Training has been an important component of the environmental audit profession since its outset some 15–20 years ago. Training and education have taken on a variety of forms—from audit texts and articles, to formal courses, to videotapes, to on-the-job training programs. These efforts have helped to advance the sophistication of environmental auditing over the past few years. Now, with the advent of the international ISO 14012 Environmental Auditor Qualification Guidelines,1 the auditing profession in the United States and around the world likely will be transformed in the near future. In fact, many organizations are now reengineering their programs in anticipation of the emerging Guidelines. The expected transformation holds for training and education programs as well. This article suggests some of the ways in which environmental audit training is likely to be reshaped as a result of ISO 14012. Offerors of training courses and seminars would be wise to anticipate the changes and modify their programs accordingly. A quick response could provide a competitive advantage. Moreover, corporate audit program managers should conduct critical evaluations of commercial offerings to assure that the programs' contents are consistent with ISO 14012 “auditor certification” expectations.